Happy Pongal

Bellam Garelu

Ingredients:

1 cup urad dal
salt to taste
oil for deep frying
1 cup grated jaggery, add water, cook to prepare a syrup that is sticky on touch
1 1/2 cup water

Method:

1. Soak the urad dal in water for 2 to 3 hrs
2. Strain the water, and grind the dal to a paste sprinkling little water and salt.
3.Heat water, add the jaggery and let it melt and form a syrup which is sticky to touch. While the jaggery is forming a syrup, deep fry the vada.
4. In the kadai heat the oil and take the small portion of batter and make the vada shape and center part with hole. deep fry the vada till golden brown.
5. Dip these vadas into jaggery syrup.

Bellam kommulu

Ingredients :

• Gram flour (Besan) - 250 gms
• Rice flour - 250 gms
• Jaggery - 500 gms
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Water
• Oil for frying

Method:

• Make a fine dough by mixing water, rice flour and gram flour.
• Make murukulu with the mould and fry them well in the oil.
• Drain the oil and keep murukulu ready to be added into the jaggery syrup.
• In a seperate bowl add jaggery and a cup of water and boil it to make a thick syrup.
• Mix cardamom powder to the syrup.
• Once the syrup is ready stop the stove, add murukulu to the syrup and mix them well.
• Let it cool down before serving or storing in an airtight container.

Karakajjam

Ingredients :
250 gms besan (gram flour)
350 gms jaggery
1/2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Add 1 cup of water in the gram flour and make a fine dough.
2. Place the dough in the sev maker and press into the hot oil. Fry until golden yellow and drain on the paper napkin.
3. Add jaggery, 1/2 cup of water in a bowl and boil until a thick syrup is formed. Also add cardamom powder and stir well.
4. Crush the sev a little bit and pour into the jaggery mix. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Make balls from the mixture and serve.
   Preparation time: 45-50 minutes

Cashew Pakam Sweet

Ingredients:

2 cups of lightly toasted cashews
2 cups of jaggery powdered
1 cup of water
A greased tray to pour the cooked cashew mixture

Method:

In a large sturdy pan, combine jaggery and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until jaggery dissolves into water. Bring this to a boil. You see lot of bubbling and raising to the surface action
going on by now, stir,stir and stir until the jaggery syrup reaches soft -crack stage meaning when you drop a bit of this syrup into cold water, it will solidify into threads.

When jaggery syrup reaches this consistency, immediately & quickly add cashews, and stir constantly for few minutes. Turn off the heat and pour this mixture onto a greased pan. When it is still hot, make lines with a knife and leave it to cool. When cooled, break along the lines to make squares. Store them in an airtight container.

Masala Dal Fry

INGREDIENTS :

1 Cup Tuvar dal (Red Gram split)
1 tsp Oil
Juice of ½ Lemon
Salt to taste

For the Masala :

1 inch Ginger
2 - 3 Cloves Garlic
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves
1 big Tomato, Chopped
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 medium sized Onion sliced
4 Green Chilies

Method:

Pressure-cook Tuvar Dal. Grind Ginger, Garlic, Green Chilies, Tomatoes, Coriander leaves

and Onions to a paste. Heat Oil in a kadai(wok), add Mustard seeds, Jeera and Turmeric

powder. Add the masala paste to the Oil and fry until the moisture evaporates.

Add the boiled Tuvar Dal and Salt to the masala and cook for 4 minutes.

If it is very thick add a cup of water and stir.

Remove to a serving bowl and add Lemon juice and mix well.

Serve hot with Ghee Rice or Roti's.

Dal Fry

Ingredients:

3/4 cup toor dal.
Two medium tomatoes
A bunch of coriander leaves.
2 tsp coriander powder. 
Some red chillies(around 10) or 2-3 teaspoons of chilli powder.
2-3 flakes garlic.
A small piece of ginger.
1/4 stick butter.
Three small onions.
1 teaspoon cumin seeds or powder.
1 each cardamom, cinammon, cloves.
salt to taste.

Method:

Boil the toor dhal in the cooker for only two whistles.
It should be just boiled and not too soft.
In the blender, grind together two onions, garlic, 
ginger, coriander leaves, tomatoes,cumin seeds,coriander 
powder and the red chillies(or powder).
Slice the other onion finely. 
Melt the butter in a pan and fry the sliced onion with 
the cardomom,cinammon and cloves.When the onions are turning 
a little brown, add the ground masala and fry for around 
15-20 minutes(all the water should have evaporated, and the 
paste should be dry).
Now add the boiled dhal to it and add a little water to 
make a gravy.
Add salt to taste.
Boil for a while till you get the required consistency.
Eat it hot with rice and papad.
  

Navrathan Korma

ingredients:

1. Ginger -- 1/2 tsp
2. Garlic -- 3/4 tsp
3. Green Chilli -- 2 to 3
4. Cilantro (Coriander ) -- 2 tbsp
5. Cauliflower flowerettes -- 1/2 cup
6. Frozen Peas -- 1/4 th cup
7. Potatoes (Peeled) -- 1/2 cup (Cut into cubes)
8. Carrots -- 1/3 cup ( Peeled and cut into strips)
9. Beans -- 1/3 cup ( Cut into strips)
10. Turmeric Powder, Cummin Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Garam masala --1/2 tsp each
11. Tomato Puree -- 1/2 cup
12. Curd (beaten) -- 1/2 cup
13. Pineapple cubes -- 1/2 cup
14. Cashewnuts and Almonds (Sliced) -- 1 tbsp each
15. Paneer -- 10 to 12 cubes

Method:

1. Grind ginger, garlic, cilantro and green chilli with water.
2. Deep fry paneer in oil until golden brown.
3. Take 2 tbsp of oil or ghee in a pan and add the ground paste. Stir fry, sprinkling a little milk from time to time.

4. Add all the vegetables, salt, garam masala, turmeric, cummin & red chilli powder. Stir fry and add tomato puree and little water to cook the vegetables. Mix and cook until the vegetables are almost done. Now, add the curd.

5. Add Paneer, pineapple, cashewnuts and almonds. simmer for about 3 minutes. Serve hot.